Scammers using fake driver licences to trick puppy buyers in new tactic

– At pups4sale, we are always on the alert for new tricks being used by puppy scammers to steal money from unsuspecting Australian puppy buyers. Thanks to an enquiry from a suspicious buyer, who was using the atrocious site known as Cracker, we have come across the latest evolution in the scammer’s toolbox – fake driver licences.

Here’s how it works: The unsuspecting buyer is unwise or unaware enough to visit a site either run by the scammers themselves, or one that is totally compromised by them. As we have repeatedly warned on the Australian Puppy Scams Hall of Shame, most classified sites in Australia that run puppy ads fall into one of the above two categories, with a comprehensive list detailed here.

The buyer then starts corresponding with the scammer, as did the buyer who contacted us regarding the ad featured in this Post. She asked us to check it out, which we were only too glad to do. To us, it was immediately obvious the ad was fake, but what was hugely disturbing was the scammer had supplied a fake NSW Driver’s Licence in order to convince the buyer she/he/it was for real. We’ll get to that part in a moment, but as a refresher, here are some of the most obvious signs that this ad is a fake:

1: No price is listed, but rather it is available “for adoption”. A classic scam. The scammer will simply ask for freight/insurance/vet fees or anything else they can think of. Of course as soon as the buyer pays one amount, there will always be another fee, until the buyer wakes up to themselves or they run out of money – whichever comes first.

2: “AKC Standard” – that is the American Kennel Club – need we say more on that topic? Another big red flag that this is a scam. Here in Australia we have the Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC), which does not register dogs anyway – it is always State based bodies who do that.

3: Pups have had their “shots”. Another American term commonly used by scammers, but never used here in legitimate ads. Another red flag waving furiously in the breeze that this is a scam.

Fake Driver’s Licence used by puppy scammers

Now to the fake ID issue. We’ve included a copy of the Driver Licence the scammer is using in this particular scam, and as you will see it’s quality is not too bad. To the amateur eye it looks quite legitimate, but professionals can easily spot it is fake.

One of the first things we noticed was the ethnicity of the woman in the photo did not match that of the name used. That is not enough in itself to say it is a fake Licence, but it does raise legitimate suspicions.

Secondly, the “Licence” is issued in NSW. Given the scammer states in their puppy ad they are located in Perth, this raises even more suspicions.

Put the above two points together with the obvious fake aspects of the ad itself provides ample evidence that here we have a scammer hard at work, trying to steal money from Australian puppy buyers. Luckily for the lady who contacted us and asked us to check the ad out, she took our advice and moved on instead of sending her money to the scammer for a puppy that doesn’t exist.

But why would the scammer go to the trouble of creating a fake Driver Licence in the first place? The answer lies in their never-ending quest to make their prey think they are legitimate. The days of using titles such as Dr, Barrister, Pastor, Reverend and so on are pretty much over, so they need a new angle. Using one of the many commonly available photograph and document editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop, scammers can easily create an electronic version of a Licence (such as the above), then supply it to the buyer to convince them the transaction is legitimate and not a scam.

So please be aware that fake IDs – such as, but not limited to Driver Licences – are going to be used more and more by scammers as part of their efforts to convince prospective victims that they are legitimate breeders.

If you have seen this latest tactic already in use, please feel free to comment below, as the more intelligence we have to supply our readers with, the less people will fall victim to the puppy scammers.

I recently looked up Japanese spitz breeders in australia and https://www.spitzpupshome.com/services came up. Naturally i clicked on it and shot the seller an email and am still currently in contact with him. I’ve picked up on a couple of odd things and would like your opinion.

1. the puppies were on a 50% discount as he said his wife was pregnant and they wanted to discontinue the puppy breeding program.

2. They initally wanted the money sent by western union

3. The site a couple of days later was taken down. However, i do still have a screen shot of it.

4. The funds initially wanted to be sent overseas.

5. Mentioned they had free travel vouchers to send to puppy to me in melbourne.

6. He has also recently provided me his ID and wrote “Just for assurance purposes, I have attached a copy of my driver’s license here as well Please send me a copy of your drivers license too okay. ” However, his address does not match the one of the address of the breeding ground.

7. His address was apparently 109 Mosman Park, Perth WA. Which i cant even find on google maps.

Just wanted to know your thoughts as he has recently responded to me with a new and mentioned internet banking to an AUSSIE bank was okay. However, i am still very suspicious.

Hi Amanda,
You were wise to be suspicious, as yes that site was run by a scammer. We reported it to both the hosting company and the domain registrar and it looks like both have acted. The site is no longer online and the domain looks to have been de-registered.
Whilst that is good news in the interim, you can be sure they will try again. As a rule of thumb, if you cannot contact the “seller” on an Australian phone number, you can almost always guarantee they are scammers.

Brent

Pups4sale,
You ought to be congratulated…. for the knowledgeable information you have diligently put together in order to protect us buyers from these parasitic scammers. The list of scammers you have put together is the work that our government bodies should have eagerly accomplised. Shame on them. Double shame on them and any other person that has the power to stop them and has failed to do so.

Why can’t the people in our government be like you? Do you think you might want to start your own political party? If you ever do…..you have my number 1 vote…..guaranteed…..

Amongst my anger, it touches my heart to know that there are some darn good people on this planet that care about other fellow humans …Thank you pups4sale

Thanks Brent – we do our best! We have given up asking the likes of Scamwatch and ACORN to actually do something about scammers. Tweets and glossy reports are nice, but gaoling the scammers with the co-operation of overseas law enforcement would do much more.